JPH06243909A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an electric connector by which a conductor separated by using a tool can be easily and reliably inserted and extracted. CONSTITUTION: An opening 22 for a conductor and an opening 24 for a tool are formed in a conductor installing surface 18 of an insulating housing 12. A cavity 28 extends up to a terminal installing surface 20 from the opening 22 for a conductor. An electric terminal 40 has a set of arms 42 and 44, and electrically contacts it by receiving a conductor 72 between them. An extending part positioned in the opening 24 for a tool is arranged on the arm 44, and a cam 60 is formed in the extending part. A tool 74 is inserted from the opening 24 for a tool, and presses the cam 60, and facilitates insertion-extraction of the conductor by expansively opening a clearance between the arms.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connector, and more particularly to an electric connector suitable for a ballast of a fluorescent lamp.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electric ballasts for fluorescent lamps are used where fluorescent lamps are present and are typically located in or behind the lamp. Typically, electric ballasts have a rectangular metal box or "can" with electrical components mounted therein. A sealant, or "embedding resin," is poured into the can and cured to seal the electrical components within the can. Also, some separate wires extend from the potting compound for electrical interconnection. Fluorescent lamps typically include a separate wire on the other side that is interconnected to a separate wire on the ballast.

In recent years, the industry of manufacturing ballasts has begun to mount components on printed boards without separate wiring within the ballast. The interior of the ballast is re-embedded to seal the components within the ballast housing. However, the separate wires still extend from the potting compound to interconnect with the corresponding separate wires in the lighting wiring. Some manufacturers have used electrical connectors on the ends of the separate wires to interconnect with the other electrical connector. The disadvantage of having an electrical connector at the end of a separate wire is that the fluorescent light is not sold with the mating electrical connector. Therefore, the ballast manufacturer must include both electrical connector bodies, increasing the cost of the ballast. Moreover, the ballast installer must not only replace the ballast, but also connect the separate wire of the lamp to the other electrical connector half. When replacing a ballast, the user of the lamp must purchase a ballast that has an electrical connector that can mate with the electrical connector that was originally installed. Otherwise, the electrical connector of the lamp must be replaced when replacing the ballast.

US Pat. No. 4,729,740 discloses prior art attempts to obtain such a fearless connector for a ballast and conventional problems in its wiring. The connector includes a housing that receives a stripped conductor and a terminal mounted therein. The terminal includes a flat blade portion extending from one end and having a bent contact portion having elasticity. The bent contact is oriented away from the conductor receiving surface of the housing so that as the stripped conductor is inserted into the housing, the bent contact is biased upwards but maintains electrical contact with the terminals. .
Unfortunately, such connector configurations do not provide any reliable means of withdrawing the conductor from the housing. The present invention provides a simple and reliable means for mounting and withdrawing conductors on the housing of a connector.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can be used as a connector for a ballast of a fluorescent lamp. This connector provides a means for easily and reliably releasing or withdrawing the disengaged wire from the connector.

[0006]

The connector includes a dielectric housing having a plurality of cavities extending between a terminal mounting surface and a conductor receiving surface. 1 conductor receiving surface (conductor mounting surface)
A plurality of similar conductor openings in a row and at least one communicating with at least one cavity and spaced from the conductor openings.
Includes a number of additional openings (tool openings). In addition, stamped electrical contacts are located within each cavity. The contact has a base on which a pair of spaced arms stand up, the spacing between the arms being aligned with corresponding conductor openings for receiving electrical conductors therein. One of the arms contains an accessory from it, which is exposed in an additional opening, and the extraction tool is inserted into this tool opening to flex one arm laterally It is also possible to provide a free passage of the conductor and remove the electric conductor from between the arms.

In another embodiment of the invention, the inner end of the first arm is aligned with the corresponding additional opening, the other arm including a bent extension downwardly and toward the first arm, Its outermost end is aligned with and exposed to the corresponding conductor opening. At least a portion of the angled extension is exposed in the additional tool opening, and a withdrawal member is inserted into the additional tool opening for lateral bending or rotation of the angled extension for electrical conductors. Of the electric conductor may be removed, or the inner edge of the electric conductor may be inserted into the contact.

As described above, the electrical connector of the present invention has a plurality of cavities extending from the conductor openings for receiving the conductors aligned with the conductor mounting surface to the terminal mounting surface, and the conductor mounting surface includes the cavities. An insulating housing having at least one tool opening that communicates with at least one of the tools, and has a tool opening, and at least one arm that is formed by punching and is disposed in the cavity, and that is spaced apart and extends upward. Has a pair of elastic arms extending along the insertion direction of the conductor, the gap between the arms being aligned with the corresponding conductor opening for receiving the conductor, one of the arms being An extension portion, the extension portion including an electric terminal provided with a cam that engages with the tool aligned with the tool opening and is inserted to expand the gap. That.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) will be described below. In the preferred embodiment, the insulating housing of the connector (hereinafter
The housing is simply referred to as "housing" so that each of the conductors can be mounted or removed, and all the conductors can be mounted or removed by one operation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention, showing a portion of the printed board to which the connector is attached and a plurality of stripped conductors prior to insertion. Figure 2
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the connector of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector of FIG. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the connector of FIG. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1 showing the position of the attached strip conductors within the housing of the connector. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing a method for removing the conductor from the connector.

1 to 6 show an embodiment. The connector 10 according to the present invention includes a pair of side walls 14, a pair of end walls 16, a conductor mounting surface 18, formed of a dielectric material such as plastic.
And a housing 12 having a terminal mounting surface 20. Two rows of conductor openings arranged in pairs along the conductor mounting surface 18
2. There are tool openings 24 (hereinafter, simply referred to as openings 22 and 24), and these openings 22 and 24 communicate with each other as best shown in FIGS. Projecting downward from the terminal mounting surface 20 is a printed circuit board (PC
B) A pair of posts 26 for alignment or attachment for attachment to 27.

The housing 12 contains a plurality of narrow cavities 28, the number of cavities 28 being the same as the number of pairs of openings 22, 24. That is, one cavity 28 is aligned for each pair of openings 22, 24. As shown in FIG. 4, each cavity 28 is formed by a pair of side walls 30, and a recess 32 is formed in each of the cavities 28. The recess 32 is configured to receive a locking lance protruding from the terminal body by a method described later. Cavity 28
A recess 36 is provided near the opening 22 along the upper wall 34 (FIG. 6).

As shown in the mounted position of FIG. 5, electrical terminals (hereinafter simply referred to as terminals) 40 are substantially flat members stamped from a blank of electrically conductive elastic material such as metal. Have. The terminal 40 has a pair of main arms 42, 44 (arms) projecting substantially parallel to the base 46. First
The main arm 42 is located inside the recess 36 close to the inside of the side wall 14 and projects toward the opening 22. The edge 47 of the main arm 42 is substantially flush with the wall of the slot 48 communicating with the opening 22.

The second main arm 44 is at the first position in the returned position.
May be slightly angled toward the main arm 42 of the inner edge 50 and includes an engagement projection 52 for engaging a pair of conductors. An L-shaped arm 56 (extension) extends from the opposite edge 54, and an inclined edge (cam) 60 is formed on the leg 58 rising upward. The latter leg 58 is aligned within the slot 62 that communicates with the opening 24. Finally, protruding downwardly from the base 46 of the terminal 40 are legs 64 that engage the printed circuit board 27 for interconnection to the printed circuit board 27 by soldering, as is well known in the art. To fix the terminal 40 in the cavity 28, the terminal 40 is
A locking lance 66 for seating in the recess 32 when inserted in 28 may be driven out of the base 46.

To assemble the connector 10, FIGS.
As shown in, the insulated conductor 70 having the end portion peeled off to expose the conductor 72 is located above the opening 22. Since the protrusion 52 faces downward, the exposed conductor easily passes and is seated on the bottom of the slot 48, at which point the protrusion 52 returns and comes into close contact with the conductor. No matter how much the conductor is pulled, the protrusions 52 resist the pulling force and do not penetrate into the conductor. A tool 74 is used to remove the conductor in accordance with the present invention. Tool 74 is
A typical tool 74 is shown in FIG. 6 with a shank sized to be inserted into the opening 24 and slot (tool opening) 62.
Inserted in 24 presses against beveled edge 60, causing L-shaped arm 56 to rotate away from first main arm 42. Due to this action, as shown in FIG.
Substantially receding from the line from, the conductor 72 can be removed freely. However, when inserting the insulated conductor 70, a tool 74 may be used to assist in the insertion if necessary.

FIG. 5 shows the position after the insulated conductor 70 is attached to the connector 10, and FIG. 6 shows the connector 10 with the conductor removed.
Are shown with tool 74.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, showing another preferred embodiment. In FIG. 7, openings or elongated slots (tool openings) 24 'are formed in place of the plurality of openings 24 of FIG. With this shape, a single blade-shaped wide member (tool) 80 may be inserted into the slot 24 'to assist the insertion of the insulated conductor 70, but at the time of pulling out, all the insulated conductors 70 should be operated by operating on the first floor. Can be removed together. That is, the blades 82 of the wide member 80 are simultaneously used on the beveled edges 60 of each terminal 40 when received in the slots 24 'to move the L-shaped arms 56 so that all the conductors from each opening 22 and slot 48.
72 can be removed. As an alternative to the latter preferred embodiment, the single removal member may be an integral part of the housing, such as a cover, or the cover may be slidably moved to the housing. That is, for example, when the cover moves from the first position to the second position and is received in the slot 24 ', it acts on the L-shaped arms 56 of the terminal 40 to deflect them and cause the insulated conductor 70 to exit the connector 10. A free passage is formed for withdrawal.

Yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.
Shown in 15. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of still another preferred embodiment of the connector 10 according to the present invention, which shows a part of a printed board 27 'to which the connector 10 is attached, a plurality of peeled insulated conductors 70' before insertion and a peeling. A typical tool 74 'for removing the isolated insulated conductor 70' is shown. 9 is a plan view of the connector of FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view of the connector of FIG. 8 with the terminals attached. FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the connector 10 'according to the present invention. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG.
The position where the peeled insulated conductor 70 'is removed in the housing 10' is shown. FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view similar to FIG. 12, showing a connector 10 ′ to which an insulated conductor 70 ′ is attached. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a suitable terminal 40 'used in the connector of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the terminal used in the connector of the present invention.

A housing 12 'of a connector 10' according to the present invention molded of a dielectric material such as plastic has a pair of side walls 14 ', a pair of end walls 16', a conductor mounting surface 18 'and a terminal mounting surface 20. Have '. Aligned one with slot 24 '
Row openings 22 'are formed along the conductor mounting surface 18'. The slot 24 'communicates internally as best shown in FIGS. Extending downwardly from the terminal mounting surface 20 'is a pair of alignment / mounting posts 26' for mounting the connector 10 'to the printed board 27', as is known in the art.
Is.

The interior of the housing 12 'includes a plurality of narrow cavities 28', the number of which is equal to the number of openings 2 '.
It is the same as the number of 2 '. That is, one cavity 28 'is aligned with each opening 22'. Each cavity 28 'is formed by a pair of side walls 30, 30' as shown in FIG.
2'is formed in one of the sidewalls 30 'of the cavity 28'.
By the method described below, the recess 32 'is configured to receive a locking lance punched from the body of the terminal 40', thereby aligning and retaining the terminal 40 'within the cavity 28' of the housing 12 '. It As shown in FIG. 12, a recess 36 'may be provided in the vicinity of the opening 22' along the upper wall 34 'of the cavity 28', and the recess 36 'is a terminal arranged in the cavity 28'.
Stabilize 40 '.

The preferred terminal 40 'shown in the terminal withdrawal position of FIG. 12 and in the perspective view of FIG. 14 comprises a substantially flat member stamped from a blank of electrically conductive resilient material such as metal. Terminal 40 'includes a pair of main arms 42', 44 'extending upwardly from base 46'. First main arm 42 '
Is designed to be located inside the sidewall 14 ', near the sidewall 30', and in the recess 36 '. These can be arbitrary but openings
Extending toward 22 ', edge 47' substantially coincides with the wall of slot 48 'which communicates with opening 22'.

The second main arm 44 'includes a first leg 50' spaced from the opposite side wall 30 'of the cavity 28', a second angled leg 54 'and an angled second leg 54' from an end 55 '. Includes a third leg 56 'bent from leg 54'. That is, the first to third legs 50 '
, 54 ', 56' form an extension. A sharp intersection 58 'is formed by the intersection 58' of the second leg 54 'and the third leg 56', and when the stripped conductor is mounted in the connector 10 ', the conductor and the intersection 58' come into contact with each other. To do. It should be noted that the second leg 54 'is located below the slot 24' and the beveled edge (cam) 60 'is located in this slot 24'. Projecting downward from the base 46 'of the terminal 40' is
Printed board by soldering, known in the art
Legs 64 'that engage PCB 27', interconnecting to 27 '
Is. A locking lance 66 'may be formed by stamping from the base 46' to align and secure the terminal 40 'within the cavity 28'. Terminal 40 'is in cavity 2 of housing 12'
When inserted into the 8 ', it seats in the recess 32'.

To assemble the connector 10 ', see FIGS.
Insulated conductor 70 'with stripped conductor 72' as shown in FIG.
Is located above the opening 22 '. Due to the presence of the second leg 54 ', there is limited resistance to push the stripped conductor to the full depth of the slot 48'. However, the second leg 54 ', the third leg 5
Because 6'is positioned to bite into conductor 72 'of insulated conductor 70', even if you try to remove insulated conductor 70 ', terminal 40' will bite further into conductor 72 'and from housing 12' to insulated conductor 70 '. 'Is in a good condition to avoid easy disengagement. Therefore, a member such as an externally inserted tool 74 'must be used. For example, the typical tool 7 in FIG.
4 ', but with a shank sized to be inserted into slot 24', this tool 74 'is inserted into slot 24' and presses against beveled edge 60 'as shown by the arrow in FIG. Rotate 'around the end 55' slightly clockwise, thereby moving the intersection 58 'out of the line from the slot 48'. In addition, as mentioned above, the second main arm 44 'is preferably spaced from the side wall 30' of the cavity 28 ', and this position appears with the terminal 40' in a reset condition. But tool 7
Pressing 4'or another removal member against the second leg 54 'will result in a second
Some rotary motion is transmitted to the main arm 44 'of the second main arm 44', and in response to the above-mentioned action, the second main arm 44 'rotates slightly toward the side wall 30'. This action creates a free passageway for withdrawing bare conductor 72 'from slot 48'. FIG. 13 shows the connector 10 'with the second leg 54' attached to the conductor 72 'so that the conductor 72' is securely retained in the connector 10 'until it is removed as described above. To be done.
The end 90 'of the third leg 56' has a flat edge 92 'to prevent excessive stress on the terminal 40' when installing and removing the insulated conductor 70 '. 92 'is the edge of the first leg 50'
It comes in contact with the 94 '. This makes the tool 74 '
Effectively restricts penetration of the cavity into the cavity 28 ',
On the other hand, it ensures that the second leg 54 'operates reliably and fully.

FIG. 14 shows the preferred terminals of the connector 10 'of the present invention.
40 ', and FIG. 15 shows another embodiment thereof. In the latter embodiment, the terminal 100 'includes another shaped leg 102'. Leg 102 '
The projecting portion 104 ′ projecting downward has a shape in which the end portion 106 ′ is twisted by 90 °. This shape exposes the wide edge 108 'to the stripped insulated conductor 70' for improved contact and retention. Finally, in order to prevent overstress of the terminal 100 ', an abutting portion 110' protruding from the second main arm 44 is formed. The contact portion 110 ′ restricts the downward rotational movement of the protrusion 104 ′.

In outline, FIG. 12 shows the position where the insulated conductor 70 'is removed from the connector 10', and FIG. 6 shows the position of the connector 10 attached regardless of the terminal shape.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 8 and shows another preferred embodiment. In particular, it shows a housing for removing a plurality of peeled conductors by one operation. In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 16, slot 24 'is in communication with elongated slot 91' so that a single wide blade tool not shown is slot 91 '.
All conductors 72 'can be removed with a single operation. That is, the blade simultaneously acts on the beveled edge 60 'of each terminal to move the third leg 56' of the terminal 40 'to allow removal of all conductors 72' in the corresponding opening 22 'and slot 48'. .

17 to 19 show another embodiment in which the conductor 72 'is removed by one operation. This method is a modification of the invention covered in US Pat. No. 4,981,432 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 19, the housing 12 ′ may be provided with a cover member (tool) 120 ′ having a top portion 122 ′ including a plurality of conductor receiving holes 124 ′. Such conductor receiving holes 124 'are aligned with the openings 22' in the conductor receiving surface 18 'of the housing 12'. Projecting downwardly from the top 122 'is a pair of U-shaped arms 126'. U
The slot 128 'of the shaped arm 126' is the side wall 1 of the housing 12 '.
Configured to receive tab 130 'along 4'. That is, the cover member 120 'engages with the tab 130' to engage the vertical rib 132 '.
Slidably engages the sidewall 14 'therebetween. Cover member 120 '
When so engaged, the cover member 120 'is positioned from the first position where the tabs 130' contact the crossbeams 134 'to the top 122' at the conductor receiving surface.
It is possible to move to the conductor removal position located near 18 '.
Projecting below the top 122 'are a plurality of fingers 136' or arms, best seen in FIG. 19, received in the slots 24 'and the elongated slots 91'. When the cover member 120 'is pressed toward the conductor mounting surface 18' and comes into contact with it,
The tapered tip 138 'of the finger 136' presses on the terminal 40 ', leaving a passage for withdrawing the conductor from the connector 10'. Due to the elastic properties of these terminals 40 ', the cover member 12
When the 0'pressure is released, the terminal returns to its original position and the cover member
Push 120 'to the top position.

In addition to the above description, various specifications and effects of the connector of the present invention can be considered. For example, in the connector of the present invention, since the main arm that does not contact the tool is fixed along the side wall, it does not move together with the cam-equipped main arm when operating the tool. Therefore, it is possible to insert and remove very smoothly and reliably.

[0029]

The electrical connector of the present invention is an electrical connector having a tool opening communicating with the cavity of the insulating housing on the conductor mounting surface, and at least one arm having a pair of arms extending along the conductor insertion direction. The terminal is arranged in the cavity so as to receive the conductor between the arms, and one arm having a cam engages the inserted tool positioned at the tool-like opening to widen the gap between the arms. Since it is configured to open, the following effects are obtained.

That is, the separated conductors can be easily and reliably connected to the electric terminals of the electric connector by the low insertion force or the zero insertion force. Further, even when the conductor is removed, the conductor and the electric terminal can be easily and surely removed without damaging them. It is also possible to collectively remove the separated conductors.

Further, since the tool opening and the conductor opening are provided separately, the insulated conductor and the tool do not interfere with each other when the tool is operated, and the insulated conductor is not adversely affected by bending or the like.
Since the conductor contacts along one of the arms, it stably contacts the electric terminal.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention showing a portion of a printed board to which the electrical connector is attached and a plurality of stripped conductors before insertion.

2 is a plan view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the electric connector of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the electrical connector of FIG.

5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1, showing the location of conductors mounted within the insulating housing of the electrical connector.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing a method of removing a conductor from an electrical connector.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, showing another preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of still another preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention, which is a part of a printed board to which the electrical connector is attached, a plurality of peeled insulated conductors before insertion, and peeled insulation. A typical tool for removing conductors is shown.

9 is a plan view of the electrical connector of FIG.

10 is a front view of the electrical connector of FIG. 8 with attached electrical terminals.

11 is a bottom view of the electrical connector of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 8, showing the position where the stripped insulated conductor has been removed from the insulating housing of the electrical connector.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 12, showing an electric connector to which an insulated conductor is attached.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a suitable electric terminal used in the electric connector of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the electric terminal used in the electric connector of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 8 showing still another preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention. In particular, it shows an insulating housing in which a plurality of peeled conductors are removed by one operation.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the insulating housing and the cover mounted thereon in FIG. 16.

18 is a cross-sectional view of the insulating housing of FIG.

19 is a sectional view of the insulating housing and cover assembly of FIG. 17;

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 10 'Electrical connector 12, 12' Insulated housing 18, 18 'Conductor mounting surface 20, 20' Terminal mounting surface 22, 22 'Conductor opening 24, 24', 62, 91 'Tool opening 28, 28' Cavity 40, 40 ', 100' Electrical terminals 42, 42 ', 44, 44' Arms 50 ', 54', 56, 56 'Extensions 60, 60' Cams 72, 72 'Conductors 74, 74', 80, 120 ' tool

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Caroline Solbrig Sinishi United States of America Pennsylvania 17109 Harrisburg Wellington Road 561 (72) Inventor David Beatty Sinish United States Pennsylvania 17109 Harrisburg Wellington Road 561

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of cavities aligned with a conductor mounting surface and extending from a conductor opening for receiving a conductor to a terminal mounting surface, wherein the conductor mounting surface has a tool for communicating with at least one of the cavities. An insulative housing having at least one insertable tool opening, and at least one arm that is stamped and disposed in the cavity and that extends apart and extends upward along the insertion direction of the conductor. A pair of resilient arms extending, the gaps between the arms being aligned with corresponding conductor openings to receive the conductors, one of the arms having an extension; And an electric terminal provided with a cam that engages with the tool and is inserted into the opening for the tool to expand the gap.